Mammoliti alleges he is victim of ‘conspiracy’

Mammoliti alleges he is victim of ‘conspiracy’

York West Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti has alleged that an unnamed group of private citizens, lawyers and elected officials have conspired to harm him and others on council, going through records, tailing vehicles and “possibly” using wiretaps.

Mammoliti says he quit Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee last year to free himself up to investigate the conspiracy.

He revealed that he has been conducting the investigation outside Mayor Ford’s office, where reporters were camped waiting for Ford on the eve of the release of the decision on his conflict of interest conviction.

Mammoliti said that his investigation has as of yet not turned up conclusive proof, but he made a broad range of allegations and said he would make the details public “when it’s time.”

“I’m going to tell the city when it’s time to prove it, and I’ll tell the police department who’s involved and who isn’t,” said Mammoliti.

“I can tell you there are a number of councillors that I am looking at in an investigation right now – a personal investigation.”

When asked if he was an alleging a conspiracy, he said, “there’s absolutely one in my opinion and I just need to prove it.”

Mammoliti has been a staunch ally to Mayor Ford until the fall, when Ford was first convicted of violating the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act by Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland.

Shortly after that, Mammoliti announced he was leaving the mayor’s executive committee, but would remain supportive of Ford’s agenda.

Mammoliti is facing his own legal problems. A compliance audit of his election expenses in 2010 showed that he overspent the legal spending limit by 44 per cent. Toronto’s Compliance Audit Committee will decide whether to hand his file over to a prosecutor. If he’s found guilty of violating election spending laws, he could be expelled from office.

Mammoliti’s “personal” investigation into the conspiracy that he believes is taking place against him has been conducted with the assistance of “professionals,” he said.

When asked, he would not say whether he had found a wire tap on his telephone line, but he said the investigation was turning up “disturbing” information.

“I can tell you that where it’s pointing to is an area that I think is going to be disturbing to this whole city,” said Mammoliti.

“I think there have been individuals that have for the last two years that we know, have come together and have strategized around how they’re going to get certain people. And it’s pointing to areas like... um, personal digging into personal information like phone bills, perhaps even the tapping of phones, and following some councillors with their vehicles at night. If that’s happening in this city that becomes more important than whether or not the mayor repaid the $3,000.”